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It's usually made from soy
or canola oil, and can also be made from recycled fryer oil (yes, from
McDonalds or your local Chinese restaurant). You can blend it with regular
diesel or run 100% biodiesel.

Biodiesel is a domestically produced,
renewable fuel that can be manufactured from vegetable oils, animal fats, or
recycled restaurant greases. Four million gallons of used cooking oil is
thrown away each year in the US. There are some used cooking oil recyclers
that pay for used cooking oil.

Biodiesel is safe, biodegradable, and
reduces serious air pollutants such as particulates, carbon monoxide,
hydrocarbons, and air toxics.

Blends of 20% biodiesel with 80% petroleum
diesel (B20) can generally be used in unmodified diesel engines; however,
users should consult their OEM and engine warranty statement.

Salt is ten times more toxic than
biodiesel.

Biodiesel can be used in existing diesel
engines without major modifications, and may increase engine life.

Biodiesel is a solvent which will clean
out the petrol diesel deposits in the fuel tank and fuel lines. It will also
soften some rubber compounds.

Collaborative
Biodiesel Tutorial: NEW This site is written by people
from around the world who make biodiesel. It's our way of sharing with
you what we have learned. Take a look around and enjoy! (added 7/06)

Biodiesel: "We turned our kitchen into a sort of illicit still and
made a hell of a mess in there brewing biodiesel fuel out of about 60 litres
of yukky waste cooking oil we got from behind McDonald's one night (they were
happy to give it to us once we told them we didn't want to eat it). We were
sure it would work, but we had to make it ourselves first -- we're not
chemists, and if we can make it anyone can.

Do diesels have a future?: Should the "dirty diesels" be scrapped
once and for all in favour of cleaner technologies? There are those who think
so, especially in the US -- but maybe they just haven't been paying attention.
There's no such confusion in Europe, for instance. Diesel engines power
37% of all new cars sold in Europe (62% in France), with the share predicted
to rise to 45% by 2005 -- but fewer than 1% of new American cars have diesel
engines.

Straight vegetable oil as diesel fuel: There's a choice to make for
running diesels on biofuels: make biodiesel and just use it, no need to
modify the engine, or buy a ready-made conversion system for your vehicle or
build your own so you can run it on straight vegetable oil (SVO) -- no need to
process the fuel, just put it in and go